Sunflower-branded lanyards are now available to passengers with hidden disabilities to discreetly show they might need extra help while travelling in major London stations.
The lanyards and sunflower-branded ticket wallets are now available at Victoria, London Bridge, Charing Cross, Cannon St, Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Guildford in Surrey.
Passengers can collect the lanyards and wallets from any Network Rail or train operator information points at these stations, including ticket offices.
All Network Rail, GTR, SWR and Southeastern station staff have been briefed to understand what the sunflower lanyards signify and can offer the right help to passengers who need it. Staff will wear green and yellow sunflower badges so passengers with hidden disabilities can approach them for help if they need to.
The sunflower lanyards aim to help passengers with hidden disabilities such as:
- autism and Asperger’s
- learning disabilities
- dementia
- mobility issues (e.g arthritis, MS, ME, chronic illness)
- vision or hearing disabilities.
Specially-made ticket wallets allow extra discretion so that passengers only disclose when they need help, rather than wearing a sunflower lanyard which is visible to everyone.
“Travelling by train for passengers with hidden disabilities can be quite daunting and we’re always looking at ways we can make their journeys easier. The sunflower symbol is the perfect way for passengers to discreetly identify themselves to our staff, so we can do everything possible to make their journeys as smooth as possible.” said Nicole Cohen-Wray, Network Rail’s Station Transformation Programme Lead for the Southern Region.
